Photos: The Kinship of Racing
By: Camille FIne
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For the Cunningham family, their weekends are far from typical. They are filled with dirt, loud engines, and good friends. Ryan was born and raised in Nelsonville, Ohio and chose to raise his family there. His soon-to-be wife, Brittany Cunningham, 27, grew up around the Nelsonville area too. Ryan has two children, Dakota, 8, and Joseph, 12, from a previous relationship and an 18-month-old son, Wesley with Brittany. Since his children could crawl, Ryan has made it his goal to teach his sons everything he knows about motocross.
“It is his his first love,” as his wife Brittany puts it.
When Ryan isn’t working, coaching Dakota’s football team, or selling bike parts; he is attending the boys’ races. Joseph, a young motocross prodigy, is at the top of his game, competing against kids his own age as well as men who are in their fifties. His younger brother, Dakota, is also a very talented racer. Joseph hopes to go pro within the next few years and juggles schoolwork on top of his aspirations. The Cunningham’s are always traveling from March until October when the weather is nice, to compete in different states.
“It’s exhausting traveling all of the time and all you want to do is be at home sometimes, but once the season ends all you want to do is get back out there. It’s so fun watching the boys do what they love,” Brittany said.
All of the Cunningham’s friends and family involve themselves in the culture of racing and have created a large family that will live on from generation to generation.
All photos by Camille Fine.
